Method and apparatus to minimize chewing of and damage to animal toy

ABSTRACT

A toy for an animal, in particular a dog, includes a bag or other hollow container. The bag has a mouth for inserting articles in the bag. After an article is inserted in the bag, a closure is utilized to secure and close the mouth. The closure and mouth of the bag are inserted in a ball to prevent an animal from chewing on the closure to open the mouth of the bag.

This invention relates to animal toys.

More particularly, the invention relates to a dog toy that minimizes thelikelihood that an animal will chew on and damage a toy.

Many toys are provided with, or include, VELCRO fasteners, rope ties, orother closures to secure openings in the toys. Dogs often use the senseof touch in their mouth and nose to locate such openings and closures.For example, hook and loop closure toys have a hard edge feel whichallows a dog to locate the opening that is held closed by hook and loopfastener material. Once a dog locates the opening in a toy, the dog maypull and chew on the closure and opening, successfully open the closure,and remove the contents (if any) of the toy. The contents can comprisestuffing, squeakers, or other articles of varying size and composition.

Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved animaltoy that would reduce the risk that a dog chewing on and damaging thetoy.

Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide animproved animal toy.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved animal toythat limits access to and makes it difficult for a dog to locate aVELCRO fastener, rope tie, or other closure used on a toy.

These and other, further and more specific objects and advantages of theinventions will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded, partial section view illustrating an animal toyconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section view illustrating the toy of FIG. 1assembled;

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating an alternate construction of aclosure portion of the toy of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating another alternate construction of aclosure portion of the toy of FIGS. 1 and 2; and,

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating still another alternate constructionof a closure portion of the toy of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Briefly, in accordance with my invention, I provide an improved toy foran animal. The toy comprises a hollow housing with at least one apertureformed therethrough; a hollow pocket tail with a bottom, a top, and anopening formed in the top, the tail removably mounted on the housingsuch that the bottom extends out through the aperture with the top andthe opening housed inside the ball; and, a play object in the taildetectable by one of the senses of the animal.

In another embodiment of the invention, I provide an improved method formaking an animal toy. The method comprises the steps of providing ahollow housing including at least one aperture and an inner area;providing a hollow pocket tail including a bottom, a top, a mouth formedin the top, and an elongate member attached to the top; inserting theelongate member through the aperture; and, tensioning the elongatemember to pull the top and mouth through the aperture into the innerarea of the housing.

In a further embodiment of the invention, I provide an improved toy foran animal. The toy comprises a hollow housing with at least a firstaperture formed therethrough; a hollow pocket tail with a bottomextending outwardly from the housing and a-pliable top and a mouthformed in the top inside the housing; a play object inserted through themouth into the tail and detectable by one of the senses of the animal;and, an elongate mouth closure attached to the pocket substantiallyevenly circumferentially tensioning and drawing closed said mouth.

Turning now to the drawings, which depict the invention for purposes ofexplanation and not by way of limitation of the invention, and in whichlike reference characters refer to corresponding elements throughout theseveral views, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a toy constructed in accordancewith the invention and including a hollow ball 14 or other hollowhousing with at least one aperture 15, 16 formed therein. The shape anddimension of the hollow volume inside ball 14 can vary as desired andcan comprise a large portion, a small portion, etc. of the total volumeof ball 14. The materials and methods utilized to produce a housing 14can vary as desired. By way of example, and not limitation, a housing 14can include one or more layers or segments or pieces of the same ordiffering material.

A hollow, preferably pliable, pocket tail 11 or other hollow memberincludes a bottom 23, a top 24, and a mouth or opening 25 formed in top24. Top 24 includes circumferential neck 21. The shape and dimension ofthe hollow volume inside tail 11 can vary as desired and can comprise alarge portion, a small portion, etc. of the total volume of tail 11.Tail 11 can, if desired, be covered with fur or other materials, and cancomprise one or more layers or segments or pieces of the same ordiffering material. Tail 11 is presently preferably, but notnecessarily, soft.

Squeaker 12 or another toy detectable by one of the senses of a dog(sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing) is, if desired, inserted throughmouth 25 into pocket tail 11 in the manner indicated by arrow B inFIG. 1. Tape 13 is, if desired, wrapped about neck 21 to close top 24.

End 18 of rope 17 or other elongate closure member is threaded throughapertures 15, 16 in the manner indicated by arrow C in FIG. 1. End 18 istied about closed top 24 to form knot 30. End 20 is pulled in thedirection of arrow E (FIG. 2) to pull knot 30 and top 24 in thedirection of arrow D through aperture 15 and into the interior 50 ofball 14. In FIG. 2, knot 30 is, for sake of clarity, depicted as beinglarger than aperture 15. As would be appreciated by those of skill inthe art, knot 30 must be sized so it can pass or be pulled throughaperture 15. If ball 14 is fabricated from an elastic, resilientmaterial, it may be possible for knot 30 to be larger than aperture 15because when knot 30 is pulled through aperture 15, aperture 15elastically, resiliently expands to a greater size. Or, conversely, ifknot 30 is comprised of a resilient material, it may stretch to areduced size which permits knot 30 to fit through aperture 15.

Knot 30 is formed in end 18. After knot 30 and top 24 are pulled intothe interior 50 of ball 14, an additional knot 31 can be tied in theintermediate portion 19 of rope 17 on the exterior of ball 14 to preventknot 30 from being pulled from interior 50 outwardly through aperture 15in a direction opposite that of arrow D. Knot 31 is sized so it will notfit through aperture 16.

When it is desired to remove top 24 from interior 50 outwardly throughaperture 15, knot 31 can be untied. After top 24 is pulled outwardlythrough aperture 15, knot 30 can be untied and tape 13 removed from top24 to allow access to the interior 51 of tail 11 so that squeaker 12 canbe removed, so that a new squeaker or other toy can be inserted ininterior 51 with or without squeaker 12, or so that all toys can beremoved from interior 51 prior to closing and reinserting top 24 insideball 14.

The shape and dimension of tail 11 can vary as desired and can, by wayof example and not limitation, take on the shape of a head or other bodymember.

An alternate closure method for pouch 11 is illustrated in FIG. 3.Instead of (or in addition to) utilizing tape 13 and knot 18, anelongate member 32 is provided which includes a plurality of fingers 33,34, 35 that are attached to top 24 at points circumferentially spacedabout and attached to the outside (or inside) of neck 21. When end 36 ofmember 32 is pulled in the direction of arrow F, fingers 33 to 35 drawinwardly together and function to draw neck 21 inwardly to close mouth25 in the manner indicated by arrows G, H, I and J. Consequently, thisinward closure action by fingers 33 to 35 reduces the size of mouth 25and neck 21 such that top 24 can be slidably drawn through aperture 15into interior 50 when end 36 is being pulled through aperture 16outwardly away from ball 14 in the direction of arrow F.

A further closure method for pouch 11 is illustrated in FIG. 4. End 43of elongate member 41 is secured inside pouch 11 by tape 40, VELCRO™hook and loop fastening material, or other fastening means that extendscircumferentially around neck 21 and end 43, and inwardly presses neck21 against end 43. End 43 can, if desired be stitched or otherwisefastened to neck 21 or tape 40. Tape 40 functions to displace neck 21inwardly to close mouth 25 against end 43 in the manner indicated byarrows K, L, M and N. End 43 and tape 40 are sized and shaped anddimensioned such that the closed, or sealed, configuration of top 24shown in FIG. 4 can, by drawing end 42 outwardly through aperture 16 (ina direction comparable to arrow E in FIG. 2), be pulled through aperture15 into interior 50 of ball 14. Tape 40 preferably presses neck 21against end 43 with substantially equal compressive forces each actingat one of the points extending about the circumference of neck 21.

Still another closure method for pouch 11 is illustrated in FIG. 5 andcomprises a drawstring 46 extending through a hollow pliable, foldablechannel 49 that extends circumferentially about pliable, foldable neck21. Pulling ends 47 and/or 48 outwardly away from mouth 25 functions todraw and fold channel 49 and neck 21 circumferentially inwardly to closemouth 25 in the manner indicated by arrows O, P, Q, R in FIG. 5. Afterneck 21 is circumferentially folded and closed by pulling ends 47 and48, portions of ends 47 and 48 can be tied together to secure neck 21 ina closed configuration before top 24 is drawn through aperture 15 intointerior 50 of ball 14.

Having described my invention in such terms as to enable those of skillin the art to understand and practice the invention, and havingdescribed the presently preferred embodiments thereof, I claim:

1. A toy for an animal, said toy comprising (a) a hollow housing with atleast one aperture formed therethrough; (b) a hollow pocket tail with abottom, a top, and an opening formed in said top, said tail removablymounted on said housing such that said bottom extends out through saidaperture with said top and said opening housed inside said ball; and,(c) a play object in said tail detectable by one of the senses of theanimal.
 2. A method for making an animal toy, said method comprising thesteps of (a) providing a hollow housing including at least one apertureand an inner area; (b) providing a hollow pocket tail including (i) abottom, (ii) a top, (iii) a mouth formed in said top, (iv) an elongatemember attached to said top; (c) inserting said elongate member throughsaid aperture; and, (d) tensioning said elongate member to pull said topand mouth through said aperture into said inner area of said housing.;3. A toy for an animal, said toy comprising (a) a hollow housing with atleast a first aperture formed therethrough; (b) a hollow pocket tailwith a bottom extending outwardly from said housing and a pliable topand a mouth formed in said top inside said housing; (c) a play objectinserted through said mouth into said tail and detectable by one of thesenses of the animal; and, (d) an elongate mouth closure attached tosaid pocket substantially evenly circumferentially tensioning anddrawing closed said mouth.